Option

Who can apply for option

The municipality assesses whether you qualify for the option procedure. You are eligible for option if one of the following situations applies to you:

• You are an adult. You were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And you have been living here since your birth. On the date of your option application you have a valid residence permit.
• You were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. You have lived here uninterruptedly for at least 3 years with a valid residence permit. And you have had no nationality from birth (you are stateless).
• You are a minor. You have been acknowledged by a Dutch citizen. For at least 3 years immediately prior to the option statement, you have been continuously cared for and brought up by this Dutch person. And you are not yet a Dutch citizen by law, through recognition or through a paternity establishment by court.

• You are an adult. And, from the moment you have turned 4 years old, you have been living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. All this time you have had a valid residence permit.

• You are an adult. You are a former Dutch citizen. And you have been living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 1 year. In this year your have had a permanent residence permit or a temporary residence permit with a non-temporary purpose of stay.

• You are married to a Dutch citizen or you are the registered partner of a Dutch citizen for at least 3 years. This marriage or registered partnership is uninterrupted with the same Dutch citizen. And you have lived immediately prior to the confirmation of Dutch citizenship uninterruptedly in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 15 years with a valid residence permit.

• You are 65 years of age or older. And you have lived immediately prior to the confirmation of Dutch citizenship uninterruptedly in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 15 years with a valid residence permit.

• You were born to a Dutch mother before 1 January 1985. At the time of your birth your father did not have the Dutch nationality.

Are you by birth, acknowledgement, adoption or court ruling the child of a person that has become or could have become a Dutch citizen on the grounds of this option category? Perhaps you can also become a Dutch citizen by option. Please contact your municipality for more information.

• Your were adopted by a Dutch woman before 1 January 1985. The adoption was declared by a court within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Are you by birth, acknowledgement, adoption or court ruling the child of a person that has become or could have become a Dutch citizen on the grounds of this option category? Perhaps you can also become a Dutch citizen by option. Please contact your municipality for more information.

• You are a minor. You are under joint guardianship, as a result of a Court decision or by law, exercised by your non-Dutch mother or father and a Dutch citizen.  You have been cared for and brought up by this Dutch person for a period of at least 3 years since the imposition of that guardianship. And you do not live in the country of your citizenship.
• You were married before 1 January 1985 to a non-Dutch husband and have therefore lost your Dutch nationality. Within 1 year after the dissolution of the marriage, you make an option statement. In this case, the condition of lawful residence in the Kingdom of the Netherlands does not apply.

Conditions

You must meet the following conditions:

• You fall under one of the categories mentioned under Who can apply for option.
• When applying for option, there can be no ongoing criminal proceedings against you in the Netherlands or abroad.
• In the 5 years prior to option application up to the moment that the decision has been made, you have not been convicted or sentenced to a conditional discharge in the Netherlands or abroad for a crime. This includes:
  • Every custodial sentence (incl. prison sentence), regardless of the duration of the sentence.
  • An alternative sanction (incl. training or community service), regardless of the duration of the sentence.
  • Every financial penalty (incl. fines, transactions or confiscation orders) of €810 or more.

  The 5 year-term starts counting from the moment that you:

  • Have concluded any custodial sentence.
  • Have paid any financial penalty completely.
  • Have not committed further offences within the term set by court in the context of a conditional discharge.
• You may not be married to more than one man or woman at the same time.
• You must make the declaration of solidarity. See below 'The naturalisation ceremony' at 'Steps in the application process'.
• You renounce your current nationality. This condition only applies when you have lived in the Netherlands from the age of 4.

Citizens of the EU/EEA or Switzerland

Are you a citizen of the EU/EEA or Switzerland? All option categories also apply to you. Also all conditions apply. The only exemption is that you do not need to have a residence permit to apply for option.

Are you a citizen of a Member State that has joined the EU later? Then you should have had a residence permit in the years that your country was not yet a Member State of the EU.

Checklist documents

What documents do you need?

• A valid passport or another travel document.
• A valid residence permit or other proof of lawful residence.
  Do you have the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland? You do not need a residence permit. The municipality checks how long you live in the Netherlands in the Personal Records Database (BRP).
• A legalised and translated birth certificate  from your country of origin.

Other documents may also be necessary. For more information about the documents, please contact your municipality.

Minor children

Your minor child can only apply for Dutch citizenship together with you. You then include your child on the form. Your child must be living in Netherlands at the time of the application and have a valid residence permit. Children of 16 and 17 years of age must be present for the application. They must also indicate that they agree with the application.

Is your child born during your option procedure (after submitting the application, but before you have been granted Dutch nationality)? Then you can submit an application for naturalisation (na-naturalisatie) for your child, if your child lives in the Netherlands with a valid residence permit for a non-temporary purpose of stay. When you apply for your child within 1 year after you as a parent have received Dutch nationality, the application is free.